Conversations
by yellowsunshinegirl
Summary: Gabby and Matt trying to figure out how to be parents
1. Chapter 1

I want to thank jscat2 on her collaboration on this story. This is after Casey is found and Gabby has told her she is pregnant. This will not be a long story it may have one or two chapters. this is just my interpretation of what happens at the beginning of next season

Gabby waited in the coffee shop for her brother Antonio as she hugged her cup of decaffeinated tea and got lost in her own thoughts. She let out a heavy sign as she brought the tea cup to her lips and let out a heavy sigh. She still could not wrap her head around the fact that in less than 9 months she was going to be a parent with Matt Casey. She was very relieved that he was safe and well but still not sure how to navigate being a parent with him. In fairy tales he would have hugged her and then they would have made up and immediately gotten back together. But fairy tales aren't real and the truth was both of them admitted that they had a lot to figure out. She chuckled to herself when she remembered the look of shock on Matts face when she told him. The first words out of his mouth were ," Wait, What? and then there had been a long pause as the news sank in. He then blushed and apologized for his reaction. But Gabby had put a gentle hand on Matts shoulder and said she was stunned too. Gabby then laughed when she told Matt about the smell of pickles had made her realize that she might be pregnant. Then confided that she started calling their baby by the nick name "Pickles. Matt laughed and she saw the joy and twinkle in his eyes as he looked at her with his deep blue eyes and the flash of his dimple. God, with one look he could make her weak in the knees. A part of her wanted to jump into his arms, wrap her legs around him and make love to him until he said her name whispered in her ear. The truth was she would always love him but was afraid of saying she loved him again and Matt rejecting her offer. So instead later that night Gabby and Matt had parted with a hug and reassurances that they both needed time to figure things out. They both left lots of things unsaid as they tried to prepare to be parents at the most unexpected time.

"Hey sis" Antonio says hello to Gabby and grins as he watches her jump slightly at the interruption of her thoughts.

Gabby frowned as she looked up at Antonio and watched him sit down across from her at the table.

Antonio reacted by putting his hands in the air and asked cautiously since he knew his sister was both stressed and full of hormones , "Hey, are you still mad at me for the Casey thing?"

Gabby's brow furrowed as she shook her head, "What? I was upset but not at you. I promise that I'm not mad. He is ok and safe which is what is important to me."

Antonio reached his hands out and took his larger hands and covered Gabby's smaller hands as he said, "That's good . How are you doing sis? "

Gabby looked at Antonio and felt tears start to well up in the corner of her eyes ,"I'm ok, just really hormonal right now."

Just then a very loud growl came from Gabby's stomach and both she and Antonio burst out laughing. Gabby's hand goes to rest on her stomach as she says "It sounds like Pickles is hungry. I haven't eaten anything this morning I only had this tea and a few bites of toast. I am still battling the nausea."

Antonio rises and says , "You need to eat something. They have great muffins here. What do you want and I'll get it for you. "

Gabby considers for a minute and then brightened as she knew exactly what little Pickle was craving., "I want a sour cream donut and a cherry cheese Danish and another decaffeinated tea please."

Antonio nods and a few minutes later returns and sits the pastries in front of her, then sits down and takes a large sip of coffee. He watches his sister as she begins to nibble on the donut then Antonio asks Gabby, "So have you talked to Matt lately? I know you said you told him about the baby. But how do things stand between the two of you?"

Gabby nods as she thinks about their last conversation, "Yes, I went to his apartment and talked about everything. We both agreed that we need time to figure out where to go from here. I think he is still pretty shaken up by Katya being killed though. I wish I could get the image of her lying there out of my head."

Antonio nods since he has seen dead bodies but he never gets used to seeing someone that young die violently, "It's too bad that she ended up dead she was so young. I wish it had turned out differently.'

"Yeah Kelly tried to clean the blood stains from the floor but they were still there when Matt and I talked. I got a little sick to my stomach at the thought of her laying on the floor when I was at the apartment. It could just as easily have been Matt and then I would be doing this alone. " Gabby looked down at the table as she wiped a single tear from her cheek as she thought about almost losing Matt. She had almost gotten sick from the site of the blood stain but had managed to compose herself. Matt had been sweet and considerate as she went into the bathroom to make her stomach quit clenching with nausea. When she came back out of the bathroom Matt had a cold ginger ale in a glass that he handed her.

"Hey, it turned out ok and you will never be alone. I'm here for you though so you never have to feel like you are alone, OK? You also have mom and dad you know" Antonio looked at Gabby making sure she know he was serious about her not being alone.

"Please don't remind me about that. I haven't told mom and dad yet until I figure things out. Antonio promise me that you won't say anything until I am ready, ok?" Gabby pleads with her older brother.

Antonio chuckles, " I promise I am not going to say a word. If you want me to be there when you tell them just let me know."

"Would you please be there? You know mom already has a problem with Matt since we broke up. I just need you to be there for moral support." Gabby lets out a sigh not looking forward to the prospect of having to tell her parents right away.

'Sure. But I gotta ask you when you say figure things out what does that mean for you? What do you have to figure out? Antonio asked his sister softly.

Gabby bit her lip and cleared her throat, "Well I don't want Matt to be with me just because of this baby. I mean, we were in a good place before this pregnancy happened but we had managed to stay friends. I know what this baby means to Matt. I just don't want to be an after-thought. "

Antonio looked at Gabby as he chose his words carefully, " I know Matt pretty well and I don't ever think he would consider you and after-thought, ever."

"Yeah but he didn't fight for me. I mean he let me walk out that door and he moved on from us." Gabby said defensively.

"Look what I am saying is it doesn't look like he moved on as much as let you go to pursue your career. Sis, we are alike about our careers. You are ambitious and I don't think Matt wanted to stand in the way of that. You were determined to be a fire fighter and Matt didn't know how to compete with that. I know Laura and I finally got divorced because of my career." Antonio let out a regretful sigh knowing that he still missed having his kids at home with him all the time. He didn't miss the fighting with Laura but he missed the good times they had as a family.

"Are you taking his side? Gabby crossed arms as her face flushed slightly

"No, what I am saying is that don't over protect your heart. Matt is a good guy so just be open to being together. I just want to see you happy, Gabby." Antonio said seriously making sure to be gentle with his very hormonal sister.

Gabby nodded, "I know I can always count on you. It's just so hard to think in terms of "Us" right now. I mean I worked so hard the last year to be a firefighter but know I am going to be a mother. It just doesn't seem real. But right now the baby comes first no matter what."

"Yeah I know and I am totally proud of you whatever happens with your career. I also know that you are going to be an amazing mom just like you are an amazing Aunt to Eva and Diego." Antonio smiled gently at his younger sister who was so like him in many ways.

Gabby nodded and said, " Thanks I needed to hear that someone believes in me right now. I just feel like I messed up everything. "

"Everyone feels that way when you first find out about becoming a parent for the first time. But even though Laura and I didn't work out I don't regret a single second I spent with her. Diego and Eva are the best parts of both of us. They are the best things about my life now. So don't be too afraid because you will miss out on so much joy by being too fearful. " Antonio said to his sister trying to calm her down.

"Yeah I just want to make the best life for me and this baby. Its all about her or him right now. And I know Matt feels the same way since he grew up in a house full of fighting ." Gabby said again as she grazed the top of her stomach again without even thinking.

"Well don't wait too long to decide because life is full of chances. And trust me it's the ones you don't take that you regret." Antonio said as he eyed his sister trying to picture a little girl that looked exactly like her. He chuckled out loud at the picture of a teenage Gabby with her fist clenched when he had told her that she couldn't see a certain boy because he was trouble. Gabby had refused to talk to Antonio for weeks afterward.

Gabby hit her brother lightly in the should and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Antonio looked back at her with a smirk, "I was just thinking if it's a girl and she is anything like you well let's just say your daughter will give you a run for your money."

Gabby grinned and then got serious, "I just want to be a good mom and make the right choices for this baby. I didn't plan this but I already love her. And I know that Matt feels the same way so I am willing to take time to do this right."

"You guys are going to figure this out, I promise. Just remember that by being too cautious you and Matt could miss out on something really great. Sometimes you have to have a little faith in each other." Antonio rises and goes to sit by Gabby and puts his arm around her. She leans in against him and says," Tonio, I love you and thanks."

"I am going to go call Matt now and see if he wants to go with me to my first doctor's appointment." Gabby called to her brother as they left the coffee shop together

Casey took a large swig of his hot black coffee as he ate a bagel for breakfast as he waited for Severide. They intended on pulling up the blood stained floor today. His mind wandered back to Katya and felt a lump form in the pit of his stomach. He felt partly responsible for her death even though he knew that ultimately Jack was the one who had murdered her. It still bothered him that he had tried to do the right thing but everything had gotten so messed up. Then his mind changed focus as he thought about Gabby being pregnant with his baby. He thought back to his initial reaction of shock to the fact that he was going to be a father, something he had always wanted. If this had been 8 months ago he would have been overjoyed but now everything seemed so complicated with Gabby. During the past 6 months he had done his best to tell himself that they had no future together other than being friends. Then the one night after the incident in the ER at Chicago Med had made him let down his guard for a night. Matt smiled to himself at the memories that came flooding back. He remembered the taste of her lips, the look of her brown eyes filled with passion for him, and the feel of her legs wrapped around him. All of a sudden Matt swallowed hard at the thought of Gabby walking around in his T-shirt the next morning. Her shirt that she had worn the night before had gotten ripped as they tried to pull it off of her.

"Hey are you ready to do this? " Severide said as he walked into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee.

Casey jumped a little as he was startled from his thought of Gabby and their night together. "Yeah I'm ready to get this started as he looked over at the place in the floor."

An hour later they were beginning to tear the floor up and take the debris out the patio door to a waiting container. They both grimaced at the sight of Katya blood on the material the pulled up.

Kelly shook his head, "it's a damn shame about the girl. What was her name?"

"Her name was Katya. Yeah, she was a nice girl that got caught up with the wrong people. We talked a few times and she seemed genuinely nice." Casey answered back as he recalled Katya flirting with him at the club

Kelly looked at Matt quizzically and asked, "Did you guys date or something? I mean it's none of my business at this point."

Matt looked at Kelly and shook his head as he said, "I've got nothing to hide. No we talked a few times but nothing ever happened outside of a lap dance one night. I mean well, things were complicated."

"What, go ahead and spill it? Besides her being a stripper what was complicated,?" Kelly looked up as he threw more debris into the waste container."

"Well I was kind of flirting with someone again and so Katya flirted but I had my mind on someone else." Matt answered as he tried to avoid the subject of Gabby with Kelly.

"Did you and Beth hook back up?" Kelly answers seeing the slightly guilty look cross Matt's face'

"God no, I haven't seen Beth since the firehouse a few months ago. " Casey looked at the ground, paused for a second and blurted out, "Oh hell you are going to find out soon enough, Gabby is pregnant."

Kelly's eyes widen in surprise and then grins widely as he claps Matt's back, "Damn congratulations man. I didn't realize that you two were dating again."

Casey gets a smile on his face but then shakes his head, "Thanks, but were not officially together again."

"OK, so what is the deal then? I mean it's obvious you've been together at least once." Kelly looked confused but listened intently to Casey.

"Yeah it was a one-time thing that we both agreed to and now Gabby is pregnant." Matt looked up at a still confused looking Kelly whose eyes widened suddenly as he thought about being trapped with Gabby a few days ago.

"What?" Matt asked as he saw Kelly's eyes widen.

"How long has she been pregnant?" Kelly asked a confused Matt.

"She just told me the other day. She found out the night I went missing and came over to tell me." Casey still not sure what Kelly was getting at.

"That means she was pregnant on the last big warehouse fire. It was a call that we went on when you missed shift to go undercover. I don't think I told you but Gabby was trapped trying to save a guy and ran out of oxygen. Things got hairy and the Chief cleared the building and only Dawson and I were in there. We both ended up running out of oxygen and getting it from the hose. I thought were weren't gonna make it out alive. I had no idea that she was pregnant. If it hadn't been for chief Dawson and I would have died," Kelly went a little pale as he thought back to how close he and Dawson had been to not making it out alive.

Casey who was kneeling on the floor let the tape measure in his hand slip to the floor. "Neither did she at that time. Damn it Kelly I should have been there to protect them instead of playing undercover hero. I almost lost both of them before we had a chance to work things out. Thanks man for being there to protect her. I mean them. "

At that point each of the men looked at the other and said a silent sorry. They knew that they were the leaders of 51 and the strife and division was never good. They shared a bond that sometimes was strained but was never broken.

Kelly who was also kneeling looked up at a pale Matt, "We all know the risks when we take this job. You'd pull me out too. That's why Rice had to go, I couldn't have someone who didn't have our back working at 51."

"Yeah, true, So what is Rice doing now?" Matt asked since he knew Rice was still Kelly's friend.

"After he left I made a few phone calls and I am trying to help him get into Arson or the Academy in a desk job. That way he has regular hours and doesn't have to worry about getting hurt. Rice was one hell of a firefighter before his wife's death." Kelly couldn't keep Rice on at 51 but wanted to help his friend be able to provide for his son.

Matt shook his head and then both he and Kelly went back to work on replacing the floor. They worked in silence for a while when Matt heard his phone ringing and saw that it was Gabby.

"Hey Gabby, What's up?" Matt says as he listens to her.

"Yeah, sure I can make it to the next doctor's appointment. Just let me know when it is and I'll be there. So how are you and pickles doing today?" Matt smiling at the thought of their nickname for the baby.

Kelly looked up and shook his head and laugh at Casey. Then Casey ended the call with Gabby and went back to work on the floor.

Severide looked up at Casey and chuckled, "Did I hear you call someone pickles? You aren't calling a hormonal Gabby pickles are you?"

Casey laughed out loud, "No that is a nickname for the baby. Gabby realized that she might be pregnant when she smelled pickles at Molly's. But I haven't seen Gabby hormonal yet but I'm sure I want to keep on her good side for the next few months. "

Kelly chuckled and then said, "So are you two gonna try to be a couple again? I mean aren't you going to want to be a part of the pregnancy?"

Matt sighed and looked at Kelly, " We're still trying to figure out everything. I think she thinks I only want to be with her because of the baby. I want both of them but on good terms not where we are at each other's throats all of the time"

Kelly leaned back and took a deep breath, "Look I know that you don't like taking relationship advise from me but you have to take a chance sometime. Remember the nurse that was at Chicago med the day I got hurt? We got together just before she left to see the world. I wish I had a chance to have something more with her but she decided to leave after the shit that went down at med that day.. If she ever comes back I am going to try with her. I mean I am the king of one night stands. But the truth is since shay died I miss having someone besides you that gives a damn if I come home or not."

"Yeah but with me and Gabby it's different. I mean we tried and failed badly. Now we have to think of the baby first. I mean I grew up in a really shitty home. I don't want that for my son or daughter. I know what it's like to not have a good home life. "Matt shakes his head trying to convince himself as much as he was Severide that he was making the right choice.

Severide answered, "Look I get not having a dad around. As great as Benny seems now he left me and my mom alone. And then my mom took refuge at the bottom of a bottle while dad was off making a new family, so I get it. But you aren't your dad and I am not Benny. So whatever you do don't base your life with Gabby on the way your mom and dad were. "

Matt all of the sudden grinned, "Damn, Severide you are giving me good relationship advice again. This is getting to be a habit."

Severide went back to work on the floor before he laughed out loud "So from now on are you going to start taking fitness advise from Mouch too? I mean you are getting relationship advice from me now."

Matt laughed as he and Severide started laying the floor and thought about what he was going to do about his future with Gabby and their child, He also thought about how he could convince Gabby that he still loved her deeply with or without the baby. At this point he just wanted the pregnancy to be easy for Gabby physically and emotionally. He also wanted to be a part of this pregnancy every step of the way, not wanting to miss on single minute of this child's beginning.


	2. Chapter 2

Matt heard a knock on the door and when he answered it was a very crabby looking Gabby, "Hey come on in, Is everything ok?"

Gabby shook her head as she said ," It's been a rough morning with all of the morning sickness."

"Can I get you anything?" Matt asked as he watched Gabby.

"No, so is Kelly around I thought maybe we could talk about the baby and us." Gabby asked glancing around the apartment.

Matt rubbed the back of his head nervously, "No Kelly isn't here. But about that I actually talked to Kelly and told him about the pregnancy when we fixed the floor the other day."

Gabby turned red faced, "Matt, I thought we were keeping this between us for right not. My parents don't even know about the baby. The only one I told is Antonio. Seriously you should have checked with me first."

Matt stood silent for a moment a little taken aback but continued to listen to Gabby who said defensively as her arms crossed over her chest, "Dammit I wanted to sort us out before everyone knew."

At this point Matt answered loudly right back at her frustrated by her reaction since he had replaced the floor so quickly to make her more comfortable here, "Look, I needed to talk to someone about the pregnancy ok? Christine is still getting over her divorces and I can't talk to you either. Besides Kelly is my roommate and he isn't going to go blabbing around 51."

Gabby felt like Matt punched her in the gut since she used to be the one he talked to . However, she had left and therefore had no right to expect anything from Matt. Gabby spun on her heels and headed for the door as quickly as her feet could carry her. "I think we should just talk another time. I can't do this right now."

Matt let out a deep breath and counted silently and put a hand on Gabby's shoulder, "Gabby, come on, I'd like to talk now. I'm sorry but I just needed a guy to talk to. This is all new territory for me too. I am just trying to do my best for you and our baby."

Gabby turned with tears in her eyes, "Look I am sorry too. It's just that I thought we had things figured out from before . We were in a good place as friends and now I am not sure about anything. Don't get me wrong I mean I don't expect anything from you as far as me or us. I mean we were in such a good place before all of this."

Matt let his face remain unreadable but he was taken by surprise at Gabby's last comment. He wanted to maybe see how things worked out for them again. However, Gabby was emotional and Matt decided to just let the comment go for now. But if he spoke what ran through his mind now Matt missed Gabby in every way. Having her here again only reminded him of what they had lost when Gabby left. He missed her being there when he got up in the morning and their pillow talk after a long shift. But right now he brushed that fact aside since he didn't' want to pressure her with anything right now.

"Gabby, right now it's important for me that you and this baby stay safe and that you have a healthy pregnancy." Matt said as he saw a tear run down Gabby's face. He reached over and wiped the tear from her cheek and then tucked a hair that was in her face behind her ear. Right then Matt had the urge to pull her into a hug but the door opened and Kelly walked in.

"Hey guys," Kelly greeted Gabby and Matt as he walked past them to get something to drink. He glanced at them both and thought about how stubborn both of them were. He secretly wished that Shay were here to kick them both in the ass. He had offered his own advice the other day to Matt about giving things another try with Gabby. Beyond that Severide decided to stay out of their way and let them decide what to do next for themselves.

As he opened the refrigerator he saw Gabby turn pale, "Oh my god what is that horrible smell?"

Kelly looked and saw the left over Chinese food sitting in the refrigerator said as he tried to quickly shut the door, "Oops, sorry it's left over Chinese food."

Gabby turned pale again and headed to the bathroom as she covered her mouth with her hands, "Oh my God, please let me make it to the bathroom."

Kelly looked at Matt as he grabbed the leftover food and said, "You go take care of her and I'll get rid of the food."

Matt headed down the hall and entered the bathroom as he watched Gabby depositing the meager contents of her stomach into the toilet. He reached her side and held her hair back for her. After a few minutes Gabby sat down on the edge of the bathtub looking shaky and pale. Matt went to the sink and got her a damp rag to wipe her mouth.

"Have you been getting this sick all of the time? I mean is this normal?" Matt asked with a worried expression as he watched Gabby.

"I know Laura got really sick when she was pregnant with the twins? But I don't know but I will talk to the doctor when we go for our visit. I am a little disappointed it got postponed, I really want to see her." Gabby answered as she wiped her face with a cold rag.

"So have you and pickles had any cravings yet?" Matt grinned trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

"Yeah I have been craving anything spicy. I had scrambled eggs with jalapenos last night. I actually had 4 eggs last night" Gabby blushed a little as she shared this with Matt.

All of a sudden Matt burst out in laughter as his blue eyes twinkled in amusement, "Well then we are definitetly having a little girl. She is going to be a spicy Latina just like her pretty mama."

And there it was again the chemistry that was always there no matter what. Gabby's heartbeat sped up as she thought about how much she loved him. But now she had no right to expect anything from him. Besides there was the entire pregnancy to get through being friends in spite of her feelings that kept resurfacing. Gabby blushed and she saw Matt's blue eyes dilate with passion.

"Thanks Matt", as Gabby stood up with the help of Matt who grabbed her hand to help her stand up. For a split second Matt started to pull her close as he watched her brown eyes darken with something that looked like love. Kelly came down the hallway calling to them and broke up the moment . And he say Gabby pull away again when she heard Kelly call to them.

"Hey Gabby, Are you ok?" Kelly looked at Gabby as he stood watching her as she walked out of the bathroom followed by Matt.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But I am going to get going before the next wave of nausea. Matt we can talk later maybe, ususally I am ok by early evening and we can meet at Molly's." Gabby said as she headed toward the door. She was berating herself for nearly giving into the urge to kiss Matt and take him to their bedroom and not get up until tomorrow morning. . She thought to herself, Damn hormones."

"Sure Gabby, I'll talk to you later." Matt walked Gabby to the door the whole time berating himself for not closing the door, pulling Gabby into a hug and staying there until she listened to him. He wanted a family with her, not just friendship with their baby. But then Matt remembered how she insisted that she didn't expect anything from him, whatever the hell that meant. Right now he was mad at himself and Gabby for ever giving up on them last Christmas so easily. He walked past Kelly toward his bedroom without a word or glance in his direction thinking to himself it was going to be a long 9 months.


	3. Chapter 3

Matt heard his phone ring and saw that it came up as Antonio on his caller ID. He was pretty sure whatever Antonio had to say was not going to be good. Matt decided to ignore the call since he didn't really feel like a lecture from Gabby's big brother. He also didn't really want to be reminded of the Katya investigation either. So he let the call roll over to voice mail so that he could retrieve the message after he and Gabby talked later that night at Mollys. An hour later he headed out the door to Molly's to meet Gabby for their long awaited talk. He was not sure what she was going to say but decided that he would try to make it as easy as possible for her. He just hoped that she wouldn't talk about terminating the pregnancy. His stomach lurched at the thought of almost being a father but then having that hope being taken away from him. Then he heard his phone buzz again and saw that it was Severide.

"Hey Kelly, what's up I am heading out to Molly's?" Matt said as he got into his truck to head to the bar.

"Matt, I just got a call from Antonio who has been trying to get in touch with you." then there was a small hesitation on the other end of the line.

"Why would Antonio call you?" Matt said in a confused voice not sure what to make of the call.

"Matt, it's Gabby. They took her to the hospital because someone rear ended her and she started spotting and cramping at the scene." Kelly said trying to break the news to his friend.

"Damn it, what hospital did they take her to?" Matt said in a frantic voice as he tried to concentrate on not slamming into the car that stopped for a red light in front of him.

"She is at Chicago Med and I guess they admitted her." Kelly answered and then continued, "I am headed there now since they couldn't get in touch with you. I will meet you there. "

"Did she, I mean do you know her condition?" Matt was pissed at himself for ignoring the call from Antonio earlier. He did not want to put into words all of the thoughts that were running through his mind at this point.

"No man, I don't Antonio just said what I told you and was headed back to be with her when the examined her." Kelly's voice trailed off on the other end since he knew what this baby meant to Matt. They hadn't talked much but Kelly had seen Matt's stoic reaction change slightly every time he talked about becoming a father the last few days.

Matt walked into the ER waiting room and saw Kelly sitting in a seat and greeted him. Matt nodded to Kelly as he want to the desk to see if he could go back and see Gabby. At first the nurse told Matt that he would have to wait out there. But then he impatiently explained that he was the father and that Gabby was expecting him. So the nurse took him back to a curtained area and there he saw Antonio sitting holding Gabby's hand. Gabby looked up at Matt with her brown eyes full of fear as they waited for the doctor.

Antonio rose and said as he glanced at his sister and squeezed her hand for to reassure her, "I am going to go get a cup of coffee. Ill be here if you guys need me."

"Hey." was all that Gabby could muster as her bottom lip began to quiver.

"Hey, so what did the doctor say?" Matt said not wanting to hear any bad news but now knowing what else to say.

"They are sending in a doctor to give me an ultra sound to see how the baby is." Gabby said quietly not wanting to acknowledge what the worst could be.

Just then the conversation was interrupted by a doctor coming in with a nurse behind him. They brought an ultrasound machine with them.

"Ms Dawson, I am Dr. Tiedge and I am going to take a look at your baby to see how it is doing. OK? How far along are you again?" The doctor said as he began to examine Gabby.

Gabby glanced at Matt who nodded to her and was holding her hand by this time, "I just found out a few days ago so I am not really sure. I'm supposed to go and see my doctor in a few days. But I think I am about 6 or 7 weeks along.

"Ok well we are going to give you an ultra sound. I am going to squeeze some gel onto your stomach and it's going to be pretty cold." the doctor said with a gentle smile.

Soon the doctor was positioning the wand over Gabby's stomach as both she and Matt looked at the screen. Within an second a very fast steady beat resonated through the room as the heart beat echoed out. It was the most beautiful sound that Matt had ever heard. It was more beautiful than the best music he had heard. It meant that their baby was alive.

"There is your baby right there." The doctor smiled at them as he looked from Gabby and Matt back to the monitor. Then there was a slight hesitation from the doctor as he moved the wand further down on Gabby's stomach. "And there is number two"

Gabby and Matt both looked at each other in shocked silence as the doctor continued the examination. They both saw a frown appear on the doctor's face as he moved the wand over her stomach again. There was a second heart beat but the doctors face looked serious unlike with the detection of the first heartbeat.

Gabby finally broke the silence,"Is there something wrong?"

The doctor shook his head and said,"It looks like the placenta is positioned very low in the uterus. And it looks like it may not be attached very well. "

Matt trying to make sense of what the doctor was saying piped up as he felt Gabby's grip tighten on his own hand.

"It means that the spotting is probably from the placenta tearing from the wall because of it's position in the uterus. The fetus that is higher up is fine but this one may resolve." The doctor answered Matt in a serious tone.

"What does resolve mean? Does that mean it is going to be ok?" Gabby asked not sure of what the doctor was saying.

"Sorry but that means that the baby positioned lower in the uterus may self terminate because it is not attached to the uterus wall. Your other baby looks like it is doing fine though. Ms Dawson you can go ahead and get dressed now." The doctor said as he turned to leave the examination room

Matt started to get angry at the way the doctor just non-chalantly treated Gabby. "Wait so how long will it be before we know if the baby is going to make it?"

Dr Tiedge turned back to Matt, "The pregnancy normally resolves within a week or two if the placenta is not securely fastened to the uterine wall. My suggestion is that your wife gets into see her doctor as soon as possible. But until then she should be on complete bed rest. From what I see on her chart she has been cleared to go home. I'm sorry but I have to continue to make my rounds. It's a been busy night. " And with that the doctor walked out of the cubicle and left Gabby and Matt alone.

Gabby let out a sob as she said as she leaned over to start to get off of the examination table, "Can you go get Antonio while I get dressed?"

Instead Matt held Gabby in his arms as she leaned against him and sobbed for a few minutes. "Shhh, i'ts going to be ok."

"But what if one of them don't make it?" Gabby whispered the thought out loud for this first time.

"Look we are going to get through this one minute at a time. Right now I want' you to calm down and get dressed. I am going to take you home to my place to stay the night." Matt said protectively as he still held Gabby who slowly pushed away from him.

"Matt, I really would rather go and stay with Antonio right now. I have been talking with him and he has an extra bedroom that he offered to me until I find a place for me and the baby. I think it would be the most peaceful place for me. It will give us the space to figure things out." Gabby said as she looked down at the hospital floor not knowing what else to say.

"I'm ok with what ever you need right now." Matt answered trying to cover up his hurt.

"Thanks, I just need time to process all of this. I mean the last few days have been a roller coaster. All I've wanted for the last year is to be a fire fighter. Now I am pregnant and a part of me still wants to be a firefighter since I worked so hard the last year and gave up so much. But after today, even being a firefighter doesn't seem to be as important as them." Gabby's hand went to her abdomen protectively.

Matt let out a long breath as he looked at Gabby's expression he had seen so many times before. When she got this look on her face it meant she could not be talked out of whatever decision it was. Right now the last thing he wanted was for Gabby to be out of his sight and yet he knew she was right. The place that would keep her the calmest was the best place for her right now. He know that Antonio would be watching her like a hawk. In the meantime the next few weeks would be a waiting game to see if the second baby survived. Right now Matt and Gabby were both torn between sorrow and happiness at the thought of welcoming two lives into the world. However, knowing that one of the babies may not make it kept them from being overjoyed since there was a good possibiltity one could not make it. Nothing was ever easy for them, nothing, especially the waiting game of the next few weeks.


	4. Goodbye

Casey and Dawson headed into see Chief Boden to tell him about the pregnancy. Neither of them were eager to try and explain that they were having a child together to Chief but had not choice since Gabby was going to be off for a while and would not be returning as a fire fighter.

Boden looked at Dawson and Casey who appeared nervous, "So what can I do for you two today?"

Gabby rubber her thigh nervously as her mouth went dry just before she spoke up, "Chief I will not be able to work as a fire fighter for a while. I will also be taking some time off for the next few weeks."

Boden looked at Dawson puzzled but waited for her to continue but Gabby seemed to be stuck as to what to say next.

Gabby shot a look to Matt who was concentrating on chiefs confused look and then blurted out, "I am pregnant and I need complete bed rest for the next few weeks per doctor's are complications with the pregnancy"

Then before Chief could say anything Casey piped in as he blushed. "Um yeah Chief and I am the father so Dawson and I are expecting a baby. "

Chief looked at the couple who seemed uncomfortable sharing this news with him. Normally when a couple announced becoming parents they were happy. But something in the way that Dawson and Casey carried themselves made Boden understand that there was more to the story. From the body language of the couple sitting in front of him, Boden understood a lot of things were not being said but as long as it did not affect 51 he stayed out of his fire fighters personal lives.

"Congratulations to you both, you will make great parents. Gabby you will be welcome to come back as a fire fighter once your maternity leave is over and you are cleared to come back. I have to say you will be missed on the job. You've done an outstanding job for us at 51. "Chief said as he smiled and nodded trying to not look too shocked.

Gabby let out a long relieved breath," Chief is there any way I could stay on at 51 in an administrative function until my pregnancy is over?"

Casey looked at Gabby a little shocked but kept his mouth shut. He had assumed that maybe she would work at the academy but never thought about her working here at 51. He thought about how hard they had worked to get where they were now, being just friends. Matt wondered what it would be like to be around her every day and not have the barrier of her working on truck coming between them. He was still trying to maintain a healthy emotional distance from her because of their situation. Also Casey knew how hard Dawson had worked to be a fire fighter and did not know how she would react to another person filling in for her.

The Chief paused for a second before responding, "I can see what we can do about getting you assigned to 51 in an administrative capacity. So how long do you anticipate being off on complete bed rest"

Gabby answered steeling herself so that she would not cry, "I expect the next two weeks at least and then we will see what my doctor has to say. I am pregnant with twins and one of them is in danger of not making it. "

Until this point Gabby and Matt had not been touching but Matt's pale hand closed around Gabby's darker, smaller hand, "Chief we would appreciate keeping this to yourself until we know about both the babies. We are trying to keep everything low key until we know for sure. The only other person we have told at 51 is Severide."

Chief nodded his head and said, "You both have my word that this goes no further than this office. Donna and I went through something similar with Terrance. Just be sure to take care of yourself Gabriella. I will get the paperwork filed for your leave of absence. I am sure Donna would be happy to help in any way she can as well."

Gabby rose to her feet and thanked the Chief, "Thanks Chief, I appreciate everything that you are doing. I can't wait to be back as a fire fighter. I mean after the baby is born of course"

Matt didn't say anything but noted that Gabby was already talking about returning to being a fire fighter. He couldn't blame her since he knew the adrenaline rush of the job and Casey could not imagine doing anything else for a living. But he also knew with their romantic history neither he nor Gabby wanted to rush back into anything. Gabby and Matt still had not had any time to sit down and talk about where they stood and how everything would work with custody and visitation. They were both still trying to wrap their head around being parents.

Just then the bell rung and both Chief and Casey got to their feet in response. Casey looked at Gabby, "Hey, if you want to stick around and maybe we could talk after the call. You can go rest in my office. Just close the door and lower the blinds. I'll wake you up when we return from the call." He smiled as Gabby nodded in agreement and then went to the bay where the rest of 51 was still getting their bunker gear on.

Gabby's heart beat wildly in response to Matt's smile at her as well as the reaction to alarm bells. She was not sure what made her pulse quicken more, at Matt's smile or the instinct to react to the alarm. Gabby sighed and yawned as she headed to Matt's office to sleep for a while. She pulled the door closed and curled up on Matt's bunk. As Gabby drifted off to sleep she thought about the many times she and Matt has shared moments in this office during her times at 51 some as friends and other moments as lovers. Their friendship started in this room and for all intents and purposes their romance had ended in this room as well.

Soon Gabby's eyes closed as she drifted off to sleep and she pictured Matt sitting in his office with a dark haired, dimpled girl laughing as she sat in Matt's lap. She was sad there was only one child there but the sadness didn't stay long as Gabby was sure she just witnessed what her daughter and Matt would look like together. The little girl hugged her Matt tightly and his blue eyes danced with crickles at the edges as he beamed at his daughter's laughter. As she slept a small stream of tears ran down her cheek at the sight of a little boy, Gabby was sure there was only one baby left as she dreamed on. A little boy stood off in the distance and waved, he had Matt's blond hair and her dark eyes. He reminded Gabby a lot of Antonio as a boy and she knew that this is her son that she would never get to meet. Maybe someday in another place and time she would see him again. But fate or God was giving her this brief glimpse of what he would have grown into had he made it. Gabby woke up to Matt's voice as he gently called her to wake up. Her eyes flew open and looked around the small office trying to figure out what had just happened.

She looked up at Matt who had concerned eyes and said with tears in her voice, "Um, I just had a dream and I saw our baby and she was beautiful. I saw her sitting on your lap. You both looked so happy."

Matt sat beside Gabby on the bunk and said only one word which held so much more meaning than anyone watching from the outside would ever understand. The connotations of that one word held both the promise and dread for Gabby and Matt, "Baby, as in one?"

Gabby nodded as tears filled her eyes for the one that would never draw breath, "I don't know how I know but I am sure."

"I believe you." was all that Matt could manage to say as the thought of what had been lost sank into his heart. Then Matt pulled Gabby close needing to feel her because he knew she was right for some unknown reason. They sat there in the office in silence sharing their grief for all of the promises broken between them over the past year. They also grevved the little life that would never be and rejoiced for the future for the one who would be the center of both their worlds soon. Gabby and Matt loved each other in that moment as more than friends. But nothing was clear except for that moment as they held each other, bonded by their past, present and mostly their future. At this moment they were both beyond words at this point, no conversation was necessary as they held each other


	5. Baby Casey

Matt reflected on the fact that he was going to be a father in in 7 months. Gabby's pregnancy was progressing normally but with only one baby surviving. The weeks following the loss of one of the babies that had been a mix of emotions for Matt. He and Gabby danced around the fact that they were no longer together but were going to be parents. After the loss of one of the babies they had both focused on keeping Gabby calm all whlle praying that the one remaining baby would survive. It had now been 3 weeks since they found out about one of the pregnancies terminating and Gabby was going stir crazy being confined to bed. The doctor had ordered complete bed rest for 3 weeks to make sure that the remaining pregnancy progressed normally. The normally active Gabby had been hormonal and irritable since being confined to bed. Matt had visited Antonio's apartment a few times to visit Gabby and had laughed as Gabby fussed at Antonio about everything. In a way Matt was kind of relieved that he was not having to put up with Gabby being so moody since he was trying to be there for her but only as a friend. Matt was making plans trying to figure out how he would coordinate child care and if he would stay in his apartment once the baby arrived. It felt funny to him to do this without Gabby but he needed to move forward as if he was going to be a single parent.

Matt knocked on Antonio's apartment door and in seconds was face to face with a pissed looking Antonio.

"Hey Antonio, How is it going?" Matt asked but didn't really have to based -on the look on Antonio's face.

Antonio looked over his shoulder to make sure that Gabby was out of ear shot then let Matt in the apartment as he said, "I've known serial killers easier to deal with than Gabby right now. She has been arguing with me the past hour over everything from the temperature of the apartment to the way my furniture is arranged. "

Matt grinned back and lifted up the ice cream in his bag, "Maybe this will improve her mood. I brought chocolate ice cream with a jar of jalapenos for her cravings."

Antonio looked at Matt grinning and stated as he grabbed his jacket," I'm going out to get a pizza with jalapenos now."

Matt looked puzzled, "Why didn't you save yourself a trip and get the pizza deliverred?

Antonio shook his head in response, 'Nope, I needed a break, I am going to make a pit stop and buy a few beers too. So I may be a while as long as you are going to be here."

About that time a grumpy looking Gabby padded across the living room scowling as she looked at Antonio and Matt, "What you are two talking about?"

Antonio puts his hands up in front of him and says, "Nothing, I was just telling Matt about a case that I am involved with. Sis I am on my way to get your pizza while Matt is here."

"Why is it taking so long to get the pizza?" Gabby argued back.

Antonio mumbled something under his breath as he left the apartment without looking back at his sister. Gabby just shook her head as she sat on the couch and then her stomach growled loudly. Matt grinned slightly and sat down in a chair as he handed Gabby the bag of ice cream. "Here is some Ice cream and jalapenos until Antonio gets back with the pizza."

Gabby took the bag and sat it down on the table, "Thanks for bringing this over. You didn't have to do that though."

Matt shrugged and blew off Gabby's grumpy mood, "Not a big deal, that's' what friends and co-parents are for."

"So how was the last shift?" Gabby asked as she ignored Matt's friend comment and went to get a spoon from the kitchen.

"Well, the new candidate started today. Other than that it was a pretty quiet shift except for a suicide attempt that went bad. The guy ended up jumping into a vat of liquid at a refinery." Matt tried to minimize the news that he knew Gabby was in no mood to hear.

"You got a new candidate today? Is he my replacement?" Gabby asked as she dipped a jalapeno into her ice cream and took a large bite.

"Actually your replacement is a female, her name is Carson. She and Severide seem to have hit if off already." Casey still trying to minimize the fact that there was a replacement candidate who was also a female.

"Really a female candidate? " Gabby huffed as she shook her head thinking about how much she missed firefighting.

"Yes, she was in the middle of her class but seems to listen well so far. Of course Herman took her aside and gave her the lecture about becoming an old firefighter and put her through drills on breaking down a door, "Matt shook his head as he thought of Herman taking Carson aside to school her as a candidate.

"It's not funny. I worked hard to be a candidate. You know how hard it's going to be just sitting in a chair while I watch someone take my spot?" Gabby asked Matt as her face turned a little red.

"Look, I get that you are frustrated but it will only be a little while and you can go back to being a fire fighter." Matt tried to sooth Gabby's ruffled feathers.

"Easy for you to say, you can still keep your job, not get fat, and you still get to be a dad without giving up anythng. Just like always men get to have their cake and eat it too" Gabby threw a sour look at him as Matt ran his hands through his hair.

"From what I remember from that night you were all for us hooking up and I quote "due to the stress of the day." Matt retorted tired of being Gabby's whipping post.

"Yeah but I am the one who is giving up a career, not you." Gabby said not wanting to back down since it felt that Matt was minimizing her loss.

Matt rose to his feet and pace a little, "I can't change that you have to carry this baby. So you just need to deal with it without taking everything out on me. I am trying my best to deal with everything just like you are."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Gabby was now on her feet taking the ice cream and dumping it in the trash

"Just what I said, I don't want to go through the next 7 months being the target for your bad moods." Matt said more loudly as the fight escalated.

"Then don't come around for a while and you won't have to deal with me at all."

"Are you trying to cut me out of this pregnancy? This baby is as much mine as it is yours." Matt said exasperated at Gabby's attitude.

"Would you please just leave? I don't feel like fighting." Gabby answered Matt forcefully.

"Gabby, please just let's calm down and try to work this out." Matt tried to diffuse the situation as he looked at Gabby pleadingly.

"I asked you to leave Matt and I mean it. I think I need some time away from you. Soon we will be seeing each other at work every day. I need space so we can just see each other at work and for the doctor appointments for right now? I told my parents today about the baby and they are down my back over being pregnant. You don't understand what it is like being cooped up here with nothing to do. Now I am going to have to watch someone else take my place at work. Life has pretty much stayed the same for you but everything is changing for me right now. I can't breathe " Gabby said as she set her jaw and crossed her arms over her shoulders.

Matt let out a long breath and said and sat on the couch and put his head in his hands, "Gabby. Please don't say that. From the moment I knew about this baby everything changed for me. Look I can't understand what it is like for you right now. But what I can tell you that I don't want to fight anymore. Can we both just calm down and hang out tonight, please?

Gabby heard a sigh come from Matt as his head continued to rest in his hands. "Matt, please."

Through a tear filled voice Gabby heard Matt say, "I want to be here for you and the baby. We have already lost one baby and I don't want to be the cause of you losing this one. "

"I'm sorry. It's just that my parents chewed me out this morning and I didn't expect that. Plus it's really hard right now because I am scared about the baby and my future." Gabby sat by Matt and put an arm on his shoulder.

"Well, you aren't alone. What do you say you, me and pickles watch a movie on Netflicks while we wait for Antonio to get back with dinner?" Matt asked Gabby as he tried to lighten the somber mood.

"Are we ok then?" Gabby asks looking at Matt not letting him change the subject.

"Yep, we're the best of friends." Matt answered still trying to make sense of where they were going.

"Hey, instead of watching netflicks can we make a salad to go with the pizza? This kiddo needs to learn to eat it's vegetables now. That way we won't have to worry later." Gabby grins as she pats her stomach.

"Sure, we are going to have the perfect kid." Matt says as he winks at Gabby and breaks into a full smile.

"It is going to be great isn't it? And I told you once that you would be a good dad. And you said someday, well Matt Casey someday is now." Gabby looked at Matt with an unreadable expression.

"Well mama, let's get to making that salad before Antonio gets back with the pizza," Matt smirks at Gabby as his eyes dance.

Gabby smacks Matt lightly on the shoulder as they walk to the kitchen to make the salad. Then they work together just talking as they each make the salad. It was like old times for Gabby who hums a lullabye as she listens to Matt talk about his day.. It had been so long since she felt normal and happy.. Gabby was glad that Matt had stayed and that they worked through the argument. He was still her best friend and now the dad to her baby. No matter what else happened, she and Matt were bonded for life. She felt more solid and at ease than she had since the miscarriage. The truth was that no one knew what their future held. But whatever happened Gabby and Matt decided in that moment to walk through it together as friends, in spite of the fact that both of them had underlying feelings. Right now each of them put aside their differences and feelings for the well-being of their baby. That night as Matt, Gabby and Antonio ate pizza and watched a movie Baby Casey heard those three voices laughing and talking late into the evening. She was going to be loved and protected by each one of those voices. The tiny life inside Gabby fluttered and turned in reaction to those three voices. Life was about to get very blessed for Matt, Gabby and Antonio.


	6. The cat is out of the bag

Casey walked into 51 two days before Dawson was supposed to return and he heard whispers coming from the bay.

"So what is up with Dawson is she ever coming back?" Otis asked since she had been away from Mollys and 51 and no one seemed to know why.

"I think that maybe she put in a transfer and doesn't want us to know yet. That's why they had Welch and now we have Carson. Is she coming back to be on truck"? Cruz replied back to his roommate. Cruz had made squad but he and Otis were still best friends and roommates.

Mouch looked serious and said as he looked around trying not to be heard.," Boden said that she was coming back and I don't think he would lie."

Herman walked up to them and chimed in to interrupt the gossip ,"It's none of you knuckle heads business what is going on with Dawson. She needed a few weeks of so she took a few weeks off, end of story." Both Cruz and Mouch walked away when they saw that Herman was serious but Otis continued to gossip.

Otis retorted sarcastically to Herman," You act like you don't want to know what is going on with her. But you are dying to know just like the rest of us. Right after Casey turned back up Dawson disappears without telling any of us. She hasn't been to Molly's in 3 weeks and all Antonio said was that she was taking a break from everything."

Herman frowned at Otis and said as he pointed a finger at Otis,"Shut it, Miss Gossip queen."

Casey walked up behind Otis and said as he eyed him, "Otis do you have extra time on your hands? I think the windows all need washed."

"But Lieutenant, I drive the truck now." Otis said proudly thinking that Casey was joking.

Casey narrowed his eyes at Otis and said, "So are you arguing with 2 Lieutenants? Herman, I think it's time we gave Otis one on one instructions on individual truck drills since he has so much extra time on his hands."

"I'd be more than happy to review all of the drill manual with him from A-Z Casey." Herman nodded and started to head outside but then stopped as he heard Otis interrupt.

Otis answered quickly as he looked nervously between Hermann and Casey and then walked away quickly., "I'm going to get the ladder to wash the windows"

As soon as Otis was out of ear shot, Casey and Herman laughed, "Cruz and Otis are worse than two old women. Casey, how is Dawson? Is she doing ok?"

Matt nodded trying not to lie but not wanting to tell Herman the truth quite yet, "She is doing ok. I can't say much right now but she will be coming back to 51 in a few days."

Herman smiled and walked away from Casey after saying, "Good to hear I'll glad to have her back she has turned out to be a hell of a fire fighter."

Casey heard his phone ring and saw that it was Gabby, "Hey, how are you guys feeling today?"

On the other end Gabby sounded very happy, "Antonio just dropped me off from the doctor's appointment. I am cleared to go back to work next week. And I am off of bed rest so I am headed to the mall to look at baby clothing."

"That's great. I'll talk to Chief if you want to see what he has arranged for you." Matt offered as he thought of her shopping for baby clothing.

"No that's fine . I am going to talk to the chief myself. I don't want to make things harder for you." Gabby said with a long pause afterward. She was trying to keep her distance from Matt but it was hard. The lines in their relationship kept getting blurred.

"OK. Hey can we talk later? I have to go since some gorgeous lady just walked in the door." Matt chuckled as he watched Gabby walk in the door.

Gabby answered and hung up the phone as she walked across the bay to where Matt stood ,"Yeah sure, Who is she?"

Matt grinned ear to ear as he hung up his phone and greeted Gabby with a quick hug that lingered a little longer than was necessary. Both Gabby and Matt relished the warmth of the embrace more than either wanted to admit. They held each other until they heard Severide call out to Gabby.

Kelly looked around before asking, "Hey little mama how are you feeling? What brings you in here? I thought you were on lockdown?"

"I got the all-clear from the doctor to be mobile again so I decided to stop by and maybe tell everyone about me and the baby,. If that is ok with you?" Gabby looked at Matt with a quick glance. She knew how 51 was full of gossip and she wanted to drop the news and then leave. That way by the time she came in next week to start her pregnancy would be old news. She just wanted to be left in peace her first day back.

Kelly nodded his head in understanding as he answered Gabby sensing that Matt and Gabby needed time alone to talk, "Take care of yourself

Matt motioned for her to follow him and Gabby waved to Kelly, "Thanks for asking Severide."

The other members were in the common room eating so Matt took the opportunity to escort Gabby to his office so that they could have some privacy. He closed the doors and drew the blinds and all of the sudden flashed back to the last time they had made love in this office. Shortly after their engagement, Gabby had snuck into his office when everyone else was asleep and stripped down to her bra and underwear as he watched. Under her gear she wore a dark purple matching set of bra and panties. Before she came in she had sprayed herself with Black by Lady Gaga to drive Matt insane. She had moved her way onto the bed and straddled Matt who had been woken from a sound sleep. Gabby pushed up Matt's shirt and began to nibble down as her hands trailed down each side of his rib cage. Soon Matt was awake and had his arms around Gabby's midsection lightly as she kissed his chest and neck seductively. Soon she planted a deep kiss on his with her full, moist lips.

"Matt, you don't mind if we tell everyone today do you?" Gabby interrupted Matt's train of thought and noticed his far off expression.

"Huh, No I think it's a good idea that they know before your first day back. " Matt tried to get the thought of the scene out of his mind. Trying to focus on what Gabby was saying was difficult because a part of Matt wanted to kiss Gabby now.

"Matt, are you even listening to me? You seem to have your mind a million miles away." Gabby laughed a little at the guilty expression that played over Matt's face. He looked like a 3 year old that had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Matt was blushing as he kept picturing Gabby under him and he cleared his throat as he tried to change the subject,"No, I'm listening. Yeah I think it's a good idea that we tell everyone."

Gabby's eyes danced at Matt's and then narrowed as she bluntly asked, "What were you thinking about?"

Matt's mouth went try as he struggled to keep his thoughts entirely platonic and then his expression changed, "I was just thinking about something I got the other day. It's kind of a gift for the baby.

Matt reached into one of his desk drawers and pulled out a small bag and handed it to Gabby who took it and opened it. She pulled out a tiny t-shirt that said 51 next generation. Her soft laugh and dark eyes met Matt's blue eyes, and shared a quiet moment before Gabby responded, "It still doesn't seem real sometimes. Everything is changing so fast for us. I never expected to be here in a million years. I really love being a firefighter but I am starting to look forward to meeting him or her. Last night I was lying in bed trying to picture what the baby will look like. "

Matt's heart leapt at the thought of actually being able to hold his baby in 7 months or so, "You know we are in trouble with our stubborn streaks and temper?"

Gabby laughed out loud and then said as the question slipped through her mouth before she thought about it, "So what are we doing about us then? How are we going to get through all of this. I don't want you to end up hating me for this." Gabby bit her lip and continued, "I know you want a family and marriage. But we tried so hard and failed so badly. I don't want that for our baby. I want her to be loved and taken care of. I never want her to feel pulled between the two of us."

Matt's hand closed over Gabby's as his eyes sought hers, "Look you know about my past. You know about everything I went through more than anyone. I told you more than I ever told Hallie about Dad and Mom. It was hard growing up in that house with them bickering all of the time. I don't want that for this baby. We are going to work together to raise this amazing life. We were friend before and were friends now."

"But what happens with us? Right now all of the lines are blurred and I just don't know, "Gabby asked the question that Matt didn't know the answer to either.

"So let's not try to figure out everything at once. Let's take a step at a time and just see. I told you once that we were going to face that future together. I'm more certain of that now more than ever. We are going to raise this baby with as much love as any baby has ever had before. We're best friends and for me that is enough, for now, ok?" Matt tried to reassure Gabby even as he was unsure himself of what he even felt. He knew that he loved Gabby but remembered the lonely nights after she left. No one knew that the number of nights he had stayed up not being able to sleep with her in his bed. He just wondered if love was enough for them to make it work.

Gabby nodded her head and pulled Matt into a hug as he kneeled before her. She took a deep breath as they held the hug for a minute, "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you that Antonio said that the trial for Nesbitt is scheduled to start next week. Voigt and the prosecutor want to go over your testimony. Antonio will be there too."

Matt's expression turned grim as he thought about Katya being dead and the same guilty feeling returned to nag at him. He felt like he was partly to blame for her death. Also the thought of what could have happened if Gabby had interrupted Nesbitt and his cohorts made Matt's stomach lurch. "I'll give Antonio a call after we tell the guys our news."

Ten minutes later Gabby and Matt were in the common as the rest of 51 eat their lunch. They had already cleared telling everyone with the chief before making their announcement. Matt sat quietly at the table and Gabby stood next to him and cleared her throat and said quietly, "Guys, starting Monday I will be off truck for a while. I am going to be restricted to office work for a little while."

Herman looked puzzled and then said as he gave a dirty look to Otis and Cruz ,"Yeah, nice try Dawson. You heard how these knuckleheads have been gossiping? No kidding when will you be back?"

Casey cleared his throat and spoke up ,"Guys Dawson is serious, she is going to be off truck for the next few months and Carson is going to be our permanent candidate. Connie is going to be moving to arson with a promotion and Dawson will be filling in for her for the next 7 months or so."

Otis looked really confused as he asked, "Wait .Why are you just leaving after all the hard work you put in? Nothing can be that important Dawson, except if you are dying? Unless you are nothing else that I could see would be worth you quitting 51"

The silence was deafening in the conference room when Severide interrupted irritated at Otis, Damn, let Dawson finish. Go, ahead Gabby,"

Dawson then proceeded to say, "Actually there is something more important than firefighting right now. I am pregnant."

Before anyone could say anything the bell went off for a call. Casey shot Dawson a look and exclaimed, "Never fails, I'll tell them I am the dad when we get back from our call."

On the way back from the call Otis finally brought up the subject of Dawson again. Everyone noticed that Casey was quiet as he stared out the truck window. "I didn't know that Dawson was dating anyone? Did you Casey?"

Mouch looked at Casey as he turned his head, "Otis I didn't know that Dawson had to inform you of her dating choices."

"I'm just saying that you would think I would know since we work together at Molly's too." Otis just would not let go and kept talking.

Cason who had been quiet up to this point, "I think it's great that Dawson is going to be a working mom. She seems really kick ass."

Casey finally had enough and snapped defensively, "Alright, I am the dad of Dawson's baby. I don't want to hear anything else about it because I am happy and so is she. As for who she is dating it's nobody's business what she does outside of 51? Got it?"

Herman clapped Matt on the back and smiled, "Congratulations Lieutenant you will make one hell of a father. You think firefighting is a thrill. Just wait until you hold your baby for the first time. It's a hell of a ride. Otis stop by the cigar shop and we'll get the Lieutenant a good stogie to share at 51."

The rest of the guys fell into easy conversation about sports as the news sank in that their Lieutenant and Dawson were going to be parents

"


	7. Promises and threats

Gabby was softly singing a lullaby as she cooked in the small kitchen apartment. She had invited Matt over for a quiet dinner so that they could spend a little time together away from the firehouse before Gabby started her job Monday. It had been a lullaby her own mother had sung to her as a child. Gabby rocked back and forth as she stood in the kitchen singing as she diced the vegetables for the salad.

Duérmete mi niño, duérmete mi amor  
duérmete pedazo de mi corazón.  
Este niño mío que nació de noche  
quiere que lo lleve a pasear en coche.  
Este niño mío que nació de día  
quiere que lo lleve a la dulcería.  
Duérmete mi niño, duérmete mi amor  
duérmete pedazo de mi corazón.

Just about that time Matt walked in the apartment after knocking a few times with no answer. He called Gabby's name when he heard singing coming from the kitchen. Matt walked into the kitchen and saw Gabby singing and swaying as she chopped vegetables. She was standing in the kitchen wearing a loosely fitting yellow sundress which looked bright against Gabby's dark skin. Her hair was down and fell in loose curls down her shoulders and back. Matt had the urge to nibble the place where the straps of her dress met her shoulder blades. He decided to lean against the door frame for a minute as he watched her quietly. Matt continued to watch her as she hummed the song in Spanish and swayed her hips slightly. Matt's breath caught in his throat because she was just fixing lunch but she looked so gorgeous and content as she sang. It was the most seductive and yet innocent picture that mesmerized him. Gabby turned, let out a yelp and jumped when she saw Matt grinning as he leaned against the frame of the door.

"Matt, Gosh you scared me how long have you been standing there?" Gabby asked surprised at his sudden appearance

"Long enough to listen to you singing something in Spanish? What were you singing?, 'Matt asked as he strode over and took one of the carrots off of the cutting board .

Gabby smiled and said, "Oh it's just a lullaby that my mom used to sing to me when I was a little girl."

Nodding as Matt asked as he looked at Gabby standing before him a full head shorter and in her bare feet and thought how beautiful she looked, "Oh yeah what are the words in English?"

Gabby took a carrot too and gnawed on it slowly as she tried to think what the translation from Spanish would be. It basically means

"Sleep my child, sleep my love

fall asleep piece of my heart .

My child born this night

He wants to take a ride in the car.

My child was born this day

He wants to take you to the candy store .

Sleep my child, sleep my love

fall asleep piece of my heart ."

Gabby sighed as she finished off the words to the lullaby and then continued as she patted her stomach gently, "Pickles has taken a piece of my heart already and she isn't even here yet. The only thing I don't like about it is that I am constantly hungry. I ate 3 pancakes and two eggs for breakfast."

Matt threw is head back and let out a full belly laugh as he picked up the salad bowl and carried it to the table. As Gabby followed him with the rest of the food. They sat down and began to eat in silence.

"I forgot how good your cooking is. Thanks for inviting me over for lunch." Matt thanked Gabby as he took another bite for the chicken on his plate.

"No problem, Listen I am nervous about us testifying next week at the Nesbitt Grand jury hearing." Gabby looked down at her plate as she considered taking a second helping of the chicken.

Casey nodded in agreement as his face mirrored the disgust he felt for Jack, "Hopefully Nesbitt will be indicted on all of the charges and not see the light of day for a long time."

Gabby turned a little pale and turned quiet as she thought about finding Katya on the floor of Matt's apartment. As it turned out Jack Nesbitt and the human traiffickers had beaten Casey and left him drugged on the side of the road after framing him for Katya's murder. Antonio and Voigt got a tip about Casey from one of the newer girls who was scared when she heard that Katya had been killed. Her name was Sophia and had been used by Jack for entertaining clients after Katya was killed.

"So do they still have Sophia in protective custody?" Matt asked Gabby thinking that she may know about the young girl.

"I think Antonio said that they have her somewhere in a safe house in protective custody until after the trial." Gabby looked intently as she put another piece of chicken onto her plate.

"She is lucky to have gotten out alive after recording Jack's confession on his own phone and then sending the file to her own phone." Matt was still in amazement at Jack's stupidity and arrogance. It was these to factors that had made him get drunk on whiskey and start to brag about what had happened to Matt and Katya. Jack had been so drunk that as he talked Sophia got his phone and played record while he bragged about never getting caught. In fact, the scared teenage girl had known enough about cell phones to record the conversation and then send it to her own phone. She had then sought out Antonio and Voigt who had taken her into custody and arrested Jack. As soon as they played the tape for Jack he had lawyered up but Voigt and Antonio said that he would be going away for life. After Voigt and Antonio arrested Jack they had confiscated his computer and found all kinds of links to a nationwide human tracking ring that was centered in Chicago. Matt's testimony along with the recorded confession had resulted in several indictments that was tied to a crime ring run out of Chicago with connections to the Ukraine.

"Yeah, Sophia is amazing for only being 16. I just wonder what is going to happen to her after the trial?" Matt was grateful to the girl who had given the tip on where to find Matt. He had been tied and left in a remote area to die. But Antonio and Voigt had gotten to him in time, otherwise he would have died.

"Antonio said she was kidnapped out of an orphanage in Russia at 14 and then been sent to Chicago about 3 months ago. So she has no relatives to speak of so I am not sure what will happen to her after she testifies. She is too young to be on her own." Gabby started to tear up thinking about the young girl on her own.

Matt noticed Gabby tearing up and scooted his chair closer to hers, "Hey, no tears. Everything is going to be ok I promise."

Gabby then wiped the tears that were coming in a steady stream now as she thought about all of her insecurities and the future of the baby that she was carrying, ."You can't say that. I thought we were going to be OK but we split up. Matt you can't promise that our baby will always be safe. I'm sure that Katya's mom never dreamed that she would end up being an escort dead on someone's floor"

Matt pulled Gabby so that her head rested on his shoulder and tried to soothe frazzled Gabby, "I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that this baby stays safe and is protected. You don't have to worry about our baby ever being alone or without anyone. OK? If anything our baby is going to be overloaded with love. I promise."

Gabby shook her head and pulled away from Matt and gave him a soft smile, "Thank you for knowing what to say. Right now, I am so hormonal. But can we talk to Antonio about making sure Sophia is going to be taken care of?"

Matt kissed Gabby's forehead and wiped a stray tear from her cheek." We can talk to him together. Oh and I have a surprise. I bought your favorite ice cream with jalapenos for desert."

Gabby said mock frowning at Matt as she rolled her eyes, "You forgot something chocolate sauce for the jalapenos. I have to take care of everything. "

"Oh boy, I kind of hope that you are wrong about the this being a girl. If there are two of you I will never have a chance to do anything right again." Matt said grinning as he followed Gabby into the kitchen to get a bowl of ice cream too.

Gabby turned around to answer Matt and did not realize how closely behind her that he was and fell into him. Before Gabby knew it she was firmly in Matt's grip and could feel his breath on her face. She was so close to him that she saw Matt's eyes dilate as he stared into her own dark brown eyes. Matt's nearness made Gabby shiver a little as she could feel his grip loosen a little bit before he stepped back and said," Oops, you nearly went for a tumble there. Are you ok?"

Gabby's heart fluttered again with contact from Matt's hand which still rested in the small of her back as he made sure that she was ok. "I'm fine and ready for desert. Do you want extra jalapenos on your sundae?"

"That is a big no. I've had trouble sleeping lately." Matt confessed to Gabby in a serious tone breaking the playful mood.

"Oh yea, you never had trouble sleeping before that I remember." Gabby commented as she continued to look at Matt.

"Matt answered reluctantly, "I've just had a lot on my mind that's all."

"You know you can talk to me? We're in a good place now so maybe we could start." Gabby was interrupted as Matt's phone rang and he reached to see who was calling and saw that it was Kelly. Matt let it roll to voice mail.

"Sorry what where you saying? Damn it." Matt asked for Gabby to continue. But then Matt's phone went off again and it was Kelly so he answered this time knowing that Severide would never call again unless it was important.

Severide said with a very tense and pissed off voice ,"Casey,,you need to get the the apartment. Our apartment has been broken into and it looks like our friend Nesbitt may be involved. Remember the place in the floor we replaced? There is some kind of blood in that same spot with a knife stuck in the middle."

"Call Antonio, I'll be there as soon as I can." Matt says as he hung up the phone.


	8. Chapter 8

Matt arrived at the apartment to find Severide and Antonio on the scene already along with Voigt. Gabby had wanted to come along but Matt had insisted on staying as far away from the Nesbitt case as possible.

"What the hell is this about? I thought we had this case buttoned up with Nesbitt being in prison?" Casey asked clearly upset that his life was still in turmoil.

Antonio answered grimly, "It looks like the human trafficking ring has a long reach. This is witness intimidation to send a message to you Matt. They are trying to make you not testify in the case."

Voigt nodded in agreement, "These scum bags traffic kids so a little intimidation is nothing to them."

Matt answered back tensely, "Well its something to me I am tired of this shit. You know that Nesbitt is connected to all of this. Why not have him questioned until he gives up the names?"

"Casey calm down. We'll get these guys but you have to give us a chance to investigate. Jay is questioning Nesbitt as we speak down at District." Voigt says as he eyes Casey.

"How the hell can I calm down? I have blood and a knife in my floor after getting the hell beat out of me and a witness dying. I agreed to help you guys out but I'm done being patient." Casey says loudly enough so that the plain clothes police officers that were there turn to look but Matt continues, "Antonio, we have more at stake now. If you guys don't take care of this then I will. The stakes are a lot higher than they were before Antonio."

Vogt looks from Antonio and Casey, "What are you guys talking about? If this effects the cast then I need to know about this and someone needs to tell me now"

Gabby walked into the apartment and walked past Severide who was silently watching from the corner," I couldn't stay away not when I am involved with this as much as anyone."

"Gabby, you need to leave now. You are already too involved with this." Matt says as he pleads with Gabby to leave.

"Matt, I found a dead body and they know where I live so I'm involved up to my neck right now. " Gabby looks at Matt and says quietly but firmly.

Voigt now really frustrated, "What is going on?"

Gabby looks from Matt to Antonio and the answers Voigt," We only told you that I came to visit Matt that night. What we didn't tell you is that I am pregnant with Matt's baby. So everyone is trying to protect me because of that."

"We have no reason to think these thugs will target Gabby. Matt you are the one who has all the information on Stilettos not Gabby." Voigt tries to ease the concerns of Casey.

"I see a big fat reason right there and it's stuck in my floor, I've trusted you so far but Katya paid the price for that trust. " Casey says as he points to the knife in the floor and then continues to pace the apartment.

The investigators come over to talk to Voigt, "We have samples of the blood as well as the knife. From what I can tell they jimmied the lock to get in the apartment. We're done with this as a crime scene."

Gabby put her hand on Matt's elbow and whispered, "We're ok. I trust Antonio, he isn't going to let anything happen to us.

Matt answers, "I trust Antonio too but you are involved in this because of me. You don't need the extra stress."

"I'm fine and getting better every day," Gabby answered to try an reassure Matt .

Antonio approached Gabby and Matt with a grim look on his face, "Voigt just got some bad news Sophia has disappeared from protective custody. She snuck out of the window and hasn't been seen for 3 hours. She took a small bag of stuff with her so we think she got scared and bolted. Also Nesbitt called in his lawyer when he was questioned about all of this. So it looks like the indictment may not go down now. Nesbitts' lawyer started talking about entrapment so we need to find Sophia and fast. Otherwise the evidence could be thrown out as hearsay evidence and our entire case could be thrown out. "

"What about all of this? Can't you keep him in custody for all of this? " Matt showed his frustration as he raked his hands through his hair.

"We can't prove that he did any of this? All we can do is go back through Jack's apartment and Stilettos to see if we can find any more evidence that links him to Katya's death." Antonio looked at Gabby who was looking pale.

Gabby felt sick to her stomach and light headed as the memory of finding Katya came flooding back, A rush of fear and confusion overcame Gabby. She remembered how the smell of death lingered in the air as she looked down at Katya's lifeless body. The reality of everything hit Gabby that she could have been in harm's way. That fear intensified as her mother's instinct started to kick in. "I have to sit down. I don't feel well."

Both Antonio and Matt traded glances as they saw Gabby turn pale. Severide who was watching from the corner strode over to Gabby. "Hey Dawson, Let me take you to get a breath of fresh air ok? I have already given my statement about what I found."

Gabby answered in a shaky voice," Thanks Kelly, that sounds good. Can you just drive me to Antonio's? I drove but I don't think I can make it without getting sick."

Matt looked at Gabby who was holding onto Severide's arm for support., "I wish that I could take you but I want to stay here and try to get information on what happens next with Nesbitt and the grand jury hearing."

Matt waited until Gabby was out of earshot when he turned to Voigt, "I don't care what you have to do but you need to nail Nesbitts' ass to the wall. "

Voigt understood exactly what Matt meant and replied, "We'll do what we have to do to make the charges stick. These guys are scum and I don't care what it takes but I am going to bury the so deep that even the prison guards are going to have a hard time finding them. They'll be 90 when they are eligible for parole. "

Antonio watched and listened in silence as the two rivals seemed to agree on nailing Jack Nesbitt's ass to the wall. He just nodded in agreement and thought about what needed to happen to find Sophia.

Severide nodded to Casey as he turned to leave. If there was anyone that Matt trusted it was Kelly Severide, who had been a solid friend since moving in with him after Shay's death. Matt watched as Gabby and Severide left the apartment then went over to join Antonio and Voigt who were huddled together in conversation. Outside the building a figure watched Gabby and Severide get into Gabby's car and drive off and wrote down the license plate number. Severide had decided to take Gabby's car instead of his own and wait with her at the apartment to make sure that she was ok. The figure watching the car drive off then dialed a number. "Hey, I have her license number. Run the tags to see where she lives and works. Yeah I could put a tail on them but I don't want to risk being seen."

Gabby rolled down the window to let the breeze hit her face and got lost in her thoughts. Severide glanced over and asked, "Are you feeling any better?"

Nodding Gabby answered him, "Yes, Thanks for looking out for me."

Kelly smiled and chuckled as he glanced over at Gabby, "It's not a big deal. I'm glad to help."

Gabby then looked and saw where they were, "Hey can you make a left turn here?"

Severide looked and realized what Gabby was asking, "Are you sure you want to go in there? I mean you are already upset."

Dawson nodded but pointed to the corner at an open air farmers market and said," Yeah but I would like to get a yellow rose first. There is a little flower stand in there. Shay always loved yellow roses."

Kelly nodded and realized that he hadn't been to Shay's grave in a while. Her death had hit him so hard that Kelly had almost lost himself. He drove the car up through the cemetery. Gabby and Kelly got out of the car and walked to the small marker that said Leslie Shay.

Dawson looked up at Severide with tear filled eyes, "You know it was almost a year to the day of us losing her that I found out that I was pregnant. I wish she were here so that I could share everything. I miss her so much."

"Me too, there are still times when I reach to dial her number then I remember that she isn't here anymore." Severide nodded slowly as he put a comforting arm around Dawson

Dawson and Severide more than anyone else at 51 still felt the impact of losing Shay. They had both lost their best friend and confidant. Gabby placed the single yellow rose on the top of Shay's grave and let out a long breath. After a few more quiet moments Kelly and Gabby walked slowly to the car as they each thought about a memory of their loving, feisty friend.

Later that evening Matt settled down for bed and looked at the clock it was 2am Sunday morning. Tomorrow he had shift but could not sleep because of his worry over Gabby. He had fallen asleep around 11 pm but had woken up in a cold sweat as he remembered the beating he had taken before being dumped out and left for dead. Then he envisioned the body of Katya lying in the pool of blood in his apartment. By the end of the dream he saw Gabby replace the dead body of Katya and that is what had woken him up. At first he hesitated because of the lateness of the hour but then Matt picked up the phone and dialed Gabby's number.

A very tired sounding Gabby answered the phone, "Hey, everything ok?"

Matt answered and sighed in relief at hearing Gabby's voice, "Yeah I just needed to hear your voice. I can't sleep. Sorry for waking you up"

Gabby sat up slightly and said as she listened to the tension in Matt's voice, "That's ok. Remember I said that we can talk anytime and I meant it?"

Matt thought about the many things he wanted to say and decided against it, He knew that she was vulnerable right now and did not want to take advantage.. So instead Matt asked Gabby, "How is the baby?"

Gabby smiled as she heard the tone change in Matt's voice," Pickles and I is doing fine. We're both doing fine."

"You said us, I like the sound of that" Matt chuckled as he still had to think about being a dad.

"I like the sound of us too." Gabby answered Matt with vulnerability in her voice. She wanted the us in the sentence to include her, Matt and the baby. But also Gabby didn't want to settle for Matt being with her just because of the baby.

"Are you both ready for work tomorrow?" Matt yawned as he relaxed while talking to Gabby.

Gabby laughed into her cell phone, "What do you mean tomorrow? We have to be there in a few hours."

Looking at the clock again Matt replied sheepishly, "Yeah I should let you get some sleep. It's your first day back"

"It's ok we can keep talking for as long as you need to." Gabby said as she stifled a yawn

"Actually I feel better just hearing your voice after today. And you also said we, I like the sound of that." Matt looked at the space beside him and wished that she were there to curl up to. There was so many things that he wanted to say but did not. Right now he was making himself be content with the status quo until Gabby got back to work and adjusted to not being a firefighter.

"OK Night then, see you in a few hours. " Gabby responded as hung up the phone. She heard a night at the other end of the line and then just before the phone disconnected she could swear that she heard Matt say, "Night, love you guys"


	9. First day back

Gabby walked into 51 for the first time becoming a PIC ready to be assigned to a desk. She watched the rest of 51 come in with their street clothing on and head straight for the locker room to change out. Out of the corner of her eye she caught site of Carson the new candidate and felt jealous. There was absolutely no reason for Dawson to feel this way other than the fact that she had worked so hard to become a firefighter and now she had to watch from the sidelines. It's not that she regretted her decision to have the baby but really hated the fact that she would be attached a desk.

Gabby muttered to herself as the realization of her not being a firefighter for the next several months, "I can do this!"

Matt walked up beside Gabby with a smile on his face as he strode beside her, "Morning, how are you doing?"

Gabby gently nudged his shoulder with hers as she laughed and replied, "Fine until someone woke me up at 2 am. I couldn't get back to sleep so I had a snack of left over pancakes with whipped cream and."

Matt nudged her back with his shoulder as he interrupted her train of thought, "Let me guess with jalapenos and maple syrup."

Gabby smiled that knew her so well and then worked up the courage to ask about him saying that he loved her before hanging up last night, "Yep. So how are you this morning? Also I wanted to talk to you about something you said last night."

Before Matt could respond Boden called to Casey," Casey, I need to talk to you about some administrative paperwork that needs to be filed this morning. So I need to talk to you asap."

Casey glanced at Dawson and then jogged to the chief, "Sure chief, I'll be right there."

Chief then looked at Dawson who was headed toward his office. "Morning Dawson, I'm glad to have you back at 51."

Dawson sat down at the desk in front of Boden's office, "Thanks Chief, it's good to be back!"

Casey and Chief went into his office and closed the door as Dawson settled into her new environment. Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone approach her desk, the new candidate Carson.

"Dawson, isn't it? I'm Anna Carson the new candidate. Its going to be hard taking your place since I've heard such great things about you." Carson said as she extended her hand to Gabby.

Immediately the very last sentence put Dawson on the defensive , "Yes I am Dawson. Don't worry, I will be back once I have the baby and my maternity leave is over."

"Oh sure, " Carson answered with a smile on her face, " So Gabby is your first name right?"

Dawson's eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at the new candidate, "Yeah, that's right but I would prefer you refer to me as Dawson. It will be easier to remember once I return from maternity leave."

Carson's smile faded as she realized that she had made a mistake with Dawson. "Oh ok, I need to talk to Casey to see what he wants me to do. Do you know how long he will be in Boden's office?

Gabby began to shuffle through the paperwork on her desk not giving eye contact to Carson, "No idea. You should go find Hermann. I'm sure he will find you something to do. I know from when I was a candidate there are always bathrooms to clean or drills to learn. "

Carson looked at Dawson regretful that they had gotten off on the wrong foot ,"Sure, welcome back. I'll just go find Lt Hermann an see what he wants me to do"

For a split second Dawson felt bad as the new candidate walked away but the remembered the comment about Carson taking her place and continued working. The alarm went off and both Casey and the Chief exited his office. In that moment, it was hard for Gabby to stay put as she got up to watch all of 51 get into their vehicles in response to the alarm. Per the alarm it was going to be a bad one since it was a 3 alarm fire so 51 would be gone for a while. So Dawson decided to pull out the handbook Connie had left for the instructions on how to do her job.

About an hour later 51 was still not back when Gabby decided to take a break from the manual and stretch her legs. She wondered into the locker room and found her locker with her name still on it and let out a curse as she lightly punched the locker as she asked herself, "Dammit why does this have to be so hard?"

She looked at the clock and saw that it was heading toward noon and 51 still was not back from their call. Dawson headed into the kitchen to make lunch since they would all be starved after the call. She knew Connie didn't do this but thought that the guys would appreciate a meal that would be ready when they came back from the call. The kitchen was a familiar place for her to blow off some steam. Before long another hour had passed and the smell of Aros Con Pollo filled the common room as the guys came back from the call. Everyone looked exhausted from the long call and the hot temperature of the latest Chicago heat wave.

Cruz looked at Dawson as he sniffed the air, "Dawson , if that is your chicken and rice, I am going to kiss y ou. You are an angel. I thought we were going to have to wait on pizza"

Mouch nodded in agreement as he sat down at the table and asked Dawson, "How much longer until it is ready?"

Dawson laughed at Mouch who looked eager to eat, "It will be ready in about 15 or 20 minutes. So you guys have enough time to shower and change."

Mouch answered sheepishly as he rose from the table and headed to the shower, "Yeah, I was going to shower first."

About that time a dirty looking Casey entered the common room and motioned for Dawson," Gabby , can I talk to you for a minute?"

Matt pulled Gabby aside and said, "Get this the 3 alarm fire was at Stilletos. It was arson."

"So what does all this mean for the indictment? Do they think that Jack is involved?"

"Antonio and Voigt were taking the club apart piece by piece to see if there was any more evidence to link Jack to Katya. Now everything was burnt to the ground. Obviously there was something in that building I am worried that the Grand Jury won't indict Jack for Katya's murder now. Oh what did you want to talk about earlier?." Matt said as he wiped his forehead with a wet paper towel.

Gabby shook her head and said, "Never mind, It will wait. I'll call Antonio later to see if they found out any more. Go shower and get cleaned up. I fixed Arros con pollo for lunch."

Matt grinned and winked before heading to the showers., "My favorite! I knew we kept you here for a reason. Come find me when you hear what Antonio has to say about the fire. Severide is going to reach out to his buddies in arson to see what he can find out"

The rest of the guys were all gathered around Carson as they talked and joked with her. Gabby overheard several of the guys complement Carson on her first big fire. She had to walk away hating the fact that she felt jealous. The simple fact was that Gabby wished she were in the middle of the fire talking to the guys. She was also irritated with herself for chickening out with Matt. But right now the only thing Gabby wanted to do was to be alone to have a good cry. Instead she put on a brave face and went back into the kitchen to help serve 51 lunch just to feel a part of them again. This was not the first day that she had envisioned back at 51 but Dawson was determined to make the best of it.

Elsewhere Matt showered quickly eager to sit down to a hot meal. He remembered letting the I love you slip out last night and regretted it. He didn't want to make Gabby withdraw or make things more difficult. He was sure that she had heard him say it and was surprised she hadn't mentioned it. Then his mind raced back to Severide saying that Stilletos was a set fire. He just wondered what evidence had been lost in the building.


	10. Lying to ourselves

Gabby was surprised at the end of the day when a bouquet of flowers arrived at 51. The delivery person said they were for her so she took them back to her desk and pulled out the card. The card read, "Gabby you will make a wonderful mother" Mom. Gabby started to tear up as she read the card from her mom, who had not had a great reaction to her surprise pregnancy. Chief, Casey and Severide walked passed Gabby's desk just as she stuck the card in her purse. She noticed Matt's eyes linger on the flowers on her desk as the door to the Chief's office closed. She looked up and it was time for her day to end when the rest of 51 still had 12 hours of her shift left. So Gabby picked up her things and left to go back to her apartment for the evening.

Fifteen minutes later Casey and Severide exited Boden's office and Casey looked toward Gabby's desk and found it empty. Severide sent his friend a side long glance at Matt who wore a frown on his face when her realized Gabby had gone home for the day.

"So how are you and Dawson doing?" Severide asked Casey casually.

"We're doing ok I guess. At least she seems less stressed right now." Casey said as he put his hands in his jacket and walked beside his friend.

"So are you guys going to keep pretending that you are just friends?" Severide asked Casey pointedly.

"Look when you married someone in Vegas I supported you and kept my nose out of your business. Can you do the same for me?"

"Whoa, I'm just saying it looks like both of you still have feelings for each other."

"Yeah well you've got it all wrong. Gabby and I have decided to be nothing more than friends. We tried and failed at a relationship, case closed." Casey retorted as his mind wondered back to the mystery flowers on Gabby's desk.

"Ok, Sorry my mouth is shut from now on. So since you are single would you like to go on a double date with me and April? She got back in town a few days ago. I am going to try to give it a try with her." Severide asked trying to lighten the mood.

"Seriously, one minute you are asking me about dating Gabby and the next you want me to go on a double date with you?" chuckled Matt at his friend's proposal.

"Hell if you aren't seeing Gabby why not? What do you have to lose? It's a few beers with a cute girl at Molly's." Severide wore his most charming smile as he tried to convince Casey.

"You are just trying to impress April and you are using me to do it. You're not fooling me."

"Hell yeah, April is cute, smart and I really want to give us a shot."

Casey looked back at Gabby's desk and thought about the flowers from earlier then answered. "Sure I need to get my mind off of things so why tomorrow night?"

"Great I'll call April and tell her to meet us there at 9." Severide picked up his phone and headed to his office. He knew that his friend still had feelings for Dawson but decided to stay out of it. By the look that Casey wore he needed cheering up so a double date might do him good.

The next night Gabby walked into Molly's for the first time in weeks. It was normally not her night but earlier in the day Herman had asked to switch shifts because he had a family party to go to. Now that Dawson was feeling better she had agreed to switch with Hermann. When she walked into Molly's at 9:15 she smiled and greeted Otis who was already behind the bar.

Otis looked confused and then a little concerned as he glanced over at Casey and Severide laughing with the two women at the table beside them, "What are doing here Dawson I thought Herman was supposed to be working tonight?

"We switched so that Herman could go to a family party or something? Besides I needed to get out of the apartment for a while." Gabby said as she put an apron on and walked around the bar.

About that time Gabby caught sight of Matt and Severide talking and laughing on their date. Her heart caught in her throat as she thought back to Casey saying "love you guys" and felt stupid. Evidently Matt was still intent to move on and Gabby would have to accept it. As much as it hurt Gabby put a smile on her face as she turned away an pretended to be busy.

About that time Gabby heard a familiar voice from behind her she turned around and saw Jay sitting at the bar," Hey there stranger."

"Hey Jay, How have you been?" Gabby smiled grateful for the distraction from Casey and his date. Then they started to chat in a friendly way just trying to catch up. Both of them had moved on from their brief relationship but still kept tabs on each other through Antonio. While Gabby and Jay talked Casey came up to the bar to order drinks for he and his date from Otis. He glanced at Gabby and Jay who were locked in conversation and felt jealous and a little sad. His eyes lingered on the couple a little too long when Jay looked up and saw Casey standing waiting for his drinks.

"Hey Casey, are you hanging in with all this Nesbitt BS? " Jay greeted Matt with a wave of his beer.

Casey tried to act non-chalant but inside he was pissed at everyone right now, "Ok, just ready for everything to be over. Did you get any more news about the case today?"

Jay shook his head as he took another swig of beer, "We don't have anything concrete. Voigt is still trying to see if he can find Sophia,"

Gabby listened intently as Matt's date came up beside him and interrupted by saying "What's taking you so long? A girl could die of thirst."

Gabby looked at the tall red head as she openly put her hand on Matt's arm. Otis came back with the drinks for Matt and his date, a beer and some kind of mixed drink. Matt's and Gabby's eyes met before she turned back to Jay after saying, "Matt, Jay enough, don't keep Matt's date waiting."

"Tomorrow is my day off so I'll be down to District first thing. Gabby, how's your night going." Matt said to Jay and Gabby as his eyes held hers again. He was confused when he saw a flash of hurt play across her face. Why is she hurt, hell she got flowers sent to her today?

Gabby snapped curtly as her emotions got the better of her, "I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

Matt not knowing how to reply as he and his date turned to go back to their table. He wished he had never said yes to Kelly about this date. However he was deteremined to be rude to his date, "You guys have a good night."

Gabby watched unwillingly as Matt and his date went back to their table. Seeing Matt with another woman hurt Gabby but she tried to keep her hurt hidden. She kept repeating to herself them being friends was for the best and it was what they both wanted.

Jay lifted his glass and asked for his bill, "I've got to get up early. It was good to see you again Gabby. Take care and goodnight."

Gabby watched Jay leave and then glanced over at Matt who had his back to the bar. Right then the weight of her situation hit her like a ton of bricks. Across the room the man she was having a baby with was on a double date seemingly oblivious to her. Gabby walked to get her purse and told Otis that she was leaving, "Otis, I'm not feeling well. I am going home."

Otis answered as he waved to Gabby, "Sure, hope you feel better. I'll lock up."

Shortly after Gabby grabbed her purse and jacket and left willing herself not to look back at Matt. Matt watched Gabby as she walked out the door and regretted not going after her. Once outside Gabby took a deep breath of night air as she tried to clear her head of thoughts of Matt dating someone else. Tears started to fall down her chin even as she tried to stop them. Gabby was so upset that she did not see the figure that was watching and then started closing the distance between them. Before she knew it Gabby felt and hand on her elbow and saw someone beside as she cried out.

Inside the bar Matt became upset as he watched Gabby leave and walked up to the bar to ask Otis why Gabby had left so suddenly. Otis explained to Casey that Gabby said she did not feel well and left for him to close up. Matt stepped to the back of the bar and tried to call Gabby's phone to see how she was but his call went directly to voice mail.


	11. Its not what you think

After excusing himself early from the double date at Molly's Casey headed home frustrated that Gabby would not pick up her phone. At first he thought about heading to Antonio's apartment but then decided against it because he did not know what to say. Ultimately he had no right to expect anything from Gabby romantically. Now Matt sat on his couch and took a sip of beer as he tried to forget about everything for a few minutes. He had tried to forget about everything earlier on his double date and had been successful, until he saw Gabby. He didn't expect the fact that she might be starting to date again to hurt so badly, but it hurt like hell. He tried to watch baseball on television as he sipped a beer but his mind wandered back to Gabby and their future. Matt heard his phone ring and saw that it was Antonio and wondered why he would be calling so late. It was nearly 1 am. He hesitated answering but knew it could be about the case.

"Hey Antonio, What's up? " Matt answered the phone trying to sound casual.

"Hey Matt, Have you talked to Gabby lately? I know she was supposed work late at Molly's tonight so I stopped by there earlier. Otis said that she headed home but there isn't any sign of her here at the apartment." Antonio asked and could not hide his concerned tone.

Matt sat down his beer and leaned forward, "No I haven't seen her since around 10 PM tonight when she left Molly's. Did you check with Brett I know that sometimes Gabby hangs out with her,"

Antonio answered, "Yeah she was the first one I called but she hasn't seen Gabby since last shift. I don't like this Matt. I've been trying to call and text her for the past hour and she doesn't respond."

"Dammit, She seemed upset when she left." Matt was on his feet and looking for his keys.

"Oh yeah, any idea what she was upset about?" Antonio asked Matt as he tried to keep the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach at bay.

"I am not sure but I was on a double date with Severide I tried to call her too but she hasn't answered my calls either." Matt felt the guilt start to rise up as he thought about Gabby riding around at this time of night because of something he had done.

Antonio knew something was wrong and began to panic at the thought that his sister may have been targeted before her testimony at the grand jury hearing. "Yeah well, She may not answer your calls but it's not like her to ignore my calls. I am headed back to Molly's to see if her car is still there. I didn't notice it before since I thought she had headed back here. "

Matt felt as if he was going to be physically ill from the thought of Gabby being in the same hands of the people who killed Katya. He nearly dropped his phone when he heard Antonio cursing on the other end of the phone, "Dammit, meet me at Molly's. I am going to call Voigt to meet us there ."

Casey could not get to his truck fast enough as he raced toward Molly's while he tried to erase the image of a dead Gabby out of his head. Nothing could prepare him for even the slightest thought of losing Gabby and their child. Matt drove up to see Antonio standing in front of Halstead and Voigt looking like he was going to punch someone. Casey got out of his truck and strode to the three men standing in Molly's parking lot beside Gabby's car having a heated discussion.

"Can either one of you tell me how Nesbitt was released from custody without us knowing? " Antonio yelled as he talked to Voigt.

"The feds came into district when all of us were off shift and took Jack into Federal custody. Apparently he was given a deal right before we picked him up for Katya's murder. Nesbitt was granted immunity if he turned over all he knew about the human trafficking crime ring to the FBI. Nesbitt's lawyer brokered the deal with the FBI but didn't let us know about it. Apparently the FBI has an agent in deep cover and has had for almost a year. They need Nesbitt to make charges stick. According to my FBI sources they let Nesbitt go right after getting him released from county so that he can meet with the rest of the ring. They want to give him immunity on Katya's murder too in exchange for his testimony. They let him loose thinking that he was going to help them bring the final charges on the Ukranian Mafia. Instead Nesbitt has disappeared and no one seems to know where he is at." Halstead said as he watched Antonio pace and continue to get more upset.

"So this animal could have my sister anywhere? Why the hell didn't someone from the FBI pick up the phone and inform us on their investigation?"

Matt felt the anger rise and then the panic set in as soon as he realized that Gabby was missing and that Nesbit could have her, "Antonio, this can't be true? How could they let Nesbitt go when they knew what he did to Katya?"

Voigt who had been quiet finally spoke up ,"Listen you two, I am going to do anything I have to do make sure that Gabby gets back here and that Nesbitt goes down for what he did. I have a call into the FBI now to see if we can get some of the manpower to sweep Chicago. We already have cops at the airports."

Matt looked sick and confused as he ran his hands over his face., "This is all my fault."

Antonio was just as scared as Matt answers in a voice full of the dread that he felt right now, "This is Nesbitt's fault and if he hurts one hair on my sister's head I'll kill him"

Voigt interjects trying to calm Antonio and Matt down ,"Are you sure that Gabby wouldn't go somewhere to be alone right now? I just want to make sure while Halstead tries to make contact with the FBI office here for leads."

Casey got in Voigt's face, "Do you know what they did to me? They beat the hell out of me and left me for dead. Nesbit and his thugs killed Katya. What do you think they are gonna do to Gabby?"

Voigt could see the frantic look on Casey's face and then he looked at Antonio who hadn't said anything in a while. He could see the stark reality that had set in for both of them. They didn't really know if Gabby was missing or not.

"Listen Casey, Voigt is right, we still don't know if Gabby is missing or not. Why don't you go back to my place and wait to see if she shows up?" Antonio could see that Matt's emotions were getting the better of him. He could also smell the alcohol on his breath which made it harder for the normally stoic Matt to remain calm.

"So are you asking me or telling me to go?" Matt asks Antonio defensively.

Antonio then took Matt aside, "Look I know that you are worried but let me and Voigt do our jobs. I want to find her if she is missing but I need you to go back to the apartment. If Gabby is safe and shows up I want her to be protected since we know Nesbit is on the loose."

Matt looked at Antonio who was holding out a set of keys to his apartment, 'Alright but keep me posted if you find out anything."

Matt drove his truck back to Antonio's and waited to see if Gabby returned. He went into to kitchen to make himself a pot of coffee as he yawned. As he waited for the coffee to be ready he sat down on the couch trying not to think about what could be happening to Gabby. On the end table sat some baby clothing that Gabby had recently bought. Matt picked up the tiny sleeper and socks and fingered them as he thought about Gabby. Damn, If he got another chance he would tell her he wanted it all with her and their child. He wanted the ring and kids and to share the next 50 years with her. They had time to work out her career and all that it meant for them to continue to work together at 51. Matt went into the kitchen to pour himself a cup of coffee when he heard the apartment door open. He glanced up at the clock and by now it was 2:30 am.

Then Matt heard the best sound that he had ever heard Gabby called out, "Antonio, are you still up?" Matt's heart leaped at the sound of Gabby's voice as he stepped out of the kitchen into the living room ready to give Gabby a huge hug. When he rounded the corner into the living room Matt was surprised to see Gabby and a male guest standing in front of him.

"Matt, what are you doing here?" Gabby asked surprised to see Matt standing in Antonio's at nearly 3AM.

Matt's answer was subdued and guarded as he eyed the couple standing before him, "Hey Mills, It's a surprise to see you. And Gabby sit down and I'll explain while you call Antonio. Voigt, he and I are were all out looking for you."

Peter Mills stood beside Gabby and answered while he smile sheepishly, "Hey Casey, I'm in town for a few days. Gabby and I were just playing a little catch up."

Gabby cleared her throat in frustration at Casey's lack of explanation for being in her apartment waiting on her to come come,"Ok now that everyone has said hello, Matt can you tell me what is going on?"

Matt rubbed the back of his head in frustration as he explained to Gabby what was going on.

Gabby took out her phone and realized that her battery was dead. Then she turned to call Antonio so that he knew that she was ok. Matt and Mills talked about the new restaurant and how the Mills family was settling in down south. In the background they heard Gabby talking to Antonio and apologizing for making everyone worried for her. Gabby hung up the phone and turned while saying, "Sorry Matt, I just didn't think about my phone being dead. I started talking to Pete and I guess the time just got away from us."

Matt felt a pang of jealousy but then stubbornly replied,"Well as long as you're ok Dawson. It's been a long night with the double date and then searching for you. I'm pretty tired so I'm going to get going.

Gabby noted that Matt mentioned the date and called her Dawson instead of Gabby, which she knew he did on purpose. All Gabby said was goodnight to Matt who watched as Pete took a seat on the sofa in the living room. As Matt walked down the hall he thought to himself so much for us being a family. All the worry that Casey had faced was gone now and the only thing he could think about was Peter Mills sitting on that couch talking to Gabby. It seemed like all the promises he had made to himself about telling Gabby what he really wanted faded with the reappearance of Peter Mills. But before Matt stepped out of the building he did look around before entering his truck since he hadn't forgotten that Jack Nesbitt was on the loose again.


	12. Chapter 12

It was the next shift before Matt saw Gabby at 51. He had texted her a few times to see how she was feeling but other than that Matt had avoided talking to her. Right now, the best thing was distance between them or so he told himself. Casey caught sight of Gabby talking to Brett and Chilli before shift in the change out room. Chilli and Brett left the locker room leaving Casey and Dawson alone.

"Hey, I wanted to say thanks for being so concerned about us the other night." Gabby says as she sits on the bench close to Matt.

"No problem, I just wanted to make sure you were safe especially since Nesbit is on the loose again." Matt answered nonchalantly.

"Well thanks anyway. By the way Pete said to tell you bye, he is leaving today to go back home."

"Oh yeah? How is he doing?" Casey asked trying to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

"He is doing great. His sister is here with him and they left this morning to drive back. We laughed about him missing out on the Chicago weather. Pete seems really happy with his decision to go back down there." Gabby said to Casey as she watched intently.

"Glad to hear he is doing ok. Mills was a hell of a fire fighter." Casey was not entirely unhappy that Pete left.

"Pete even invited us down to see him once the baby is born. His girlfriend grew up around there so they could show us all of the sights. " Gabby added as she fiddled with her purse absently.

Casey perked up at the last sentence. "Sounds like he made the right decision for himself. I know it was a hard choice but he is a good guy."

"Yeah, I'm happy for him. Pete deserves the best." Gabby nodded as she recalled her hug goodbye.

"Hey, I was wondering if you'd like to go out to dinner tomorrow night. Nothing formal, just that little pizza place we used to go to a few blocks from my place. I thought it would give us a chance to talk."  
Casey says as he eyes Gabby who looked particularly pretty in her turquoise dress.

Gabby smiled and repliled, "Matt, I'd like that. To tell you the truth I have been on edge since the other night with the Jack Nesbitt thing. Antonio has been working nights on the case and I jump every time I hear a noise in the hallway."

Matt's brow furrowed not liking the fact of Gabby being alone at night, 'You can always stay at my place and I can sleep on the couch if you feel unsafe."

Gabby nodded and said coyly, "Careful I might take you up on your offer."

Matt's eyebrows went up and asked, "Which one?"

Gabby rolled her eyes as she tapped Matt's cheek lightly, "Dinner sounds good but you are driving and paying. Bring plenty of money because I am eating for two now"

Matt laughed out loud as Gabby shot him a look and then turned to leave the locker room as the rest of 51 came in to change out for the shift. He chuckled to himself as he thought about being jealous of Mills and how wrong he had been. He thought to himself what a difference one conversation can make.

Later that shift Casey woke up in a cold sweat as he felt himself being shoved into the trunk of an old car. The feel of the stale air in the trunk as he struggled to be loosened against from the tape that was wrapped around his legs and arms. Every part of his body ached from the beating he endured at the hands of his captors. They had threatened to cut off his head and fingers to keep his body from being identified. Jack Nesbitt had stood over him gleefully and watched as to Urkranian men kicked and punched the life out of him. He finally bolted upright in his bunk as he realized that he was in 51 and it was the middle of the night. He heaved a heavy sigh as he pushed himself out of bed and went into the common room. There Casey found Mouch watching tv with a bowl of popcorn in his lap watching some kind of documentary on the history channel.

Mouch looked up at Casey surprised to see anyone up at this time of day,"Hey Lieutenant, can't sleep?"

Matt shook his head as he went over to get a cup of strong coffee to wake himself up, "No I couldn't. What are you watching?"

Mouch looked from Casey to the tv screen, "It's about the civil war. Trudy and I are going to tour the battlefields on vacation this summer. We're also going to be touring the great all you can eat buffets too. I love a woman who can out eat me."

Casey stifled a laugh as he saw how proud Mouch was of Trudy and said, "Sounds great."

"So what is keeping you up Lieutenant?" Mouch asks as he sees the dark circles under Casey's eyes.

Casey tries to blow off Mouch's look of concern my saying, "I guess too much caffeine."

Mouch notes the coffee cup in Casey's hand, "So it's probably a good idea not to drink that. Hermann made that strong enough to peel paint."

"Yeah that is probably true," Matt laughs as he puts down the coffee cup and tries to watch the tv.

Mouch doesn't take his eyes off of the television while talking, "Congratulations on being a dad, Lieutenant."

Casey glances side long at Mouch and grins widely, "Thanks Mouch. I guess we are both kind of new dads. How is your daughter doing?"

"She's great. She is starting at Northwestern soon and seems real excited about it. Trudy and her get along great." Mouch said thoughtfully as he chewed on more popcorn.

"I'm happy to hear that Mouch." Casey said honestly happy for Mouch who had struggled with dating all those years.

"Thanks, you know what the worst part of finding out about her was?" Mouch said thoughtfully as he picked up a piece of popcorn off his lap.

Casey shook his head, "No idea? I can't really see a downside since you guys get along so well."

Mouch finishes chewing his popcorn and answers Casey with a sad look, " I regret all the stuff I missed. I mean my daughter is a woman now. I can't ever get that time back, you know?"

Casey sat silently for a minute and then answered Mouch, "Yeah, I get it."

Mouch added without being asked, "Just make sure that you are there for everything. I've had the best time getting to know my daughter. I just missed out on so much."

"Thanks Randy," Casey said thankfully calling his Mouch by his first name out of respect.

The older man turned back to the television and started to watch the civil war documentary and Matt got lost in his own thoughts. He didn't want to screw up being a father. To Matt, this was the most important thing he would ever do. He remembered the few good times with his father and wanted to make sure to do things right with his kid. Matt turned to Mouch, who was still intently munching on popcorn and said, "I'm gonna go try and get some shut eye. Good luck with the trip to the civil war battlefileds."

Mouch nodded , "I'll be sure to have Trudy invite you over for dinner when we have all the pictures loaded into our power point scrap book. That way you can get a real feel for our vacation."

Matt nodded when he normally would have busted out into a laugh, "Sure thing, just let me know when." Then Matt walked outside the firehouse to get a breath of fresh air. As he looked at the end of the firehouse he noticed a small figure leaning up against the wall with a small bag beside them. Immediately, Matt clenched his fist thinking that it might be Nesbit or one of his men. There was a slight shaft of light that hit the figure so Matt squinted his eyes to try and make out more details of the figure reclining in the shadows. As he walked closer he made out what was a young girl curled up with her knees pulled to her chest. Not sure what was going on Matt called out and then he made out that it was a female, "Hey, do you need help?" The slight figure jumped and grabbed her bag, then scrambled to her feet and tried to run. Matt who had been a runner most of his life closed the distance between the figure quickly and grabbed the back of her jacket. He heard a protest coming from the girl as he pulled her into the light, "It's me Sophia, please don't take me to the police. If I testify they will kill my brother who is still back in the Ukraine."

"Sophia, come inside and we'll talk." Matt tried to persuade the young girl to come in off of the street.

"But what if they see me go inside?" Sophia said cautiously as she looked around.

"It's for you safer inside 51 than out here on your own. Come on and I'll get you something to eat and a place to lay down and get some rest. I'll make some calls to get you a safer place to stay and see what we can do about getting your brother in a safe place in the Ukraine." Casey still trying to coax her into trusting him.

"I sure would. I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't tipped the police off to where I was. Trust me. OK?" Casey eyed the young girl who looked very scared and tired. She looked to be barely into her teens. It angered and saddened him what she had seen at her young age. He could not imagine what Sophia must be going through. Human trafficking stories were all over the news but seeing this young, frightened girl in front of him made reality hit him in the face. It sickened him that grown men used young girls and stole everything from them.

Sophia nodded as she picked up her bag and followed Casey into 51 as she told him, "Please just make sure my little brother is safe and I wlll tell your friend the police officer everything I know."

Casey nodded as he put a hand gently on the young girl's shoulder as they walked into 51 together.


End file.
